Nescafe thinks reading the newspaper is ‘a rather lonely’ thing to do

The company known around the world for instant coffee launched an ad campaign aimed at, it appears, getting people to share a cup of coffee with strangers instead of reading the news. Marshall Smith wrote about a Nescafé ad campaign that includes pop-up mugs in newspapers for Industry Tap on Thursday. “Called the “pop-up café”, the ad was a huge hit,” he wrote. Here’s a little from the ad:

In the morning, reading the newspaper can be a rather lonely moment. But what if we could turn that lonely moment into a conversation starter?

So people pass out free newspapers in France (it’s Metronews) wrapped in red folders, and when the newspaper readers get to their offices with the Eiffel Tower in the background, they discover the mugs, stop reading the news and go have a conversation.

As a cure for this intolerable isolation, they’ve invented branded newspaper wrappers that come with pop-up paper mugs, apparently with coffee powder in them. If you happen to be near some hot water, well you’re in luck! Instant coffee!

On July 8, Katie Richards wrote about the cups for Business Insider, noting that they’re “surprisingly sturdy.” This would make more sense with a cell phone bill, wouldn’t it? Or at a singles bar?